Another DIRCO International Provocation

Statement by Ryan Smith MP – DA Spokesperson on International Relations and Cooperation:

Diplomacy exists precisely to manage disputes without escalating them into public confrontations which carry economic and geopolitical consequences.

Declaring a foreign diplomat persona non grata is among the most serious tools in a state’s diplomatic repertoire. It is typically reserved for espionage, security threats, or grave breaches of international law – not political disagreements conducted in the public sphere. When used impulsively, it signals instability rather than strength. In this case, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) did not even issue a démarche to the Israeli embassy, which would be the standard diplomatic protocol to formally raise concerns and demand corrective action.

This reckless escalation appears to have been triggered not by any genuine security concern, but by political irritation following the Israeli mission’s visit to the Eastern Cape, where engagement with King Dalindyebo publicly exposed the depth of service delivery collapse and economic failure under ANC municipalities.

Rather than confronting its own failures at home, DIRCO, fully captured by the ANC, chose to provoke an international dispute abroad. This only unnecessarily heightens diplomatic tensions and places South African trade squarely in the firing line.

Furthermore, this reflects a broader pattern of the ANC repeatedly inserting South Africa into global conflicts and turning foreign policy into a vehicle for ideological posturing instead of pragmatic national interest.

South Africa is a trade-dependent economy that has struggled with low growth and high unemployment. Our prosperity depends on predictable, professional foreign relations that protect export markets, tourism flows, investment pipelines, and strategic partnerships across the globe.

The current decision to engage in public diplomatic escalation, particularly in an already polarised international environment, risks retaliatory measures, strained commercial ties, and reduced investor confidence

Foreign policy is not a stage for ANC political posturing. It is an economic tool that directly affects jobs and growth.

Strong nations defend their interests firmly, but do so quietly, strategically, and through established diplomatic channels. Mature diplomacy resolves disputes through engagement, not megaphone politics.

At a time when South Africa urgently needs investment, market access and international cooperation to revive growth, DIRCO should be strengthening relationships, not creating new fault lines.

South Africans cannot afford foreign policy that prioritises ANC politics over economic reality.

Democratic Alliance Federal Leader, John Steenhuisen, has called for an urgent Government of National Unity (GNU) Lekgotla on South Africa’s foreign policy direction. The ANC cannot be allowed to continue using international relations to shoot South Africa in the foot while ordinary South Africans pay the economic price.

Foreign policy must serve prosperity, stability and national interest, not political theatrics.